September 13, 2016
In distressed instances, where a mentally ill family member needs assistance, caregivers are forced to make a choice over whether to call the police to save a life or call the police and risk that family member going to jail.
Stories this photo appears in:
I’LL-EQUIPPED TO IDENTIFY MENTAL HEALTH CALLS
EMERGENCY RESPONDERS
According to an Associated Press report, a growing number of shooting deaths by police, involving the mentally ill has prompted lawyers for the U.S. Justice Department to investigate excessive force by police officers in cities like Baltimore, Seattle and Portland. In Chicago, Jennifer McGowan, associate director of National Alliance for the Mentally Illinois (NAMI) said NAMI offers Crisis Intervention Training or CIT so that Chicago police are better equipped to deal with the mentally ill.